Welo: should city merge with University Hts.?

CLEVELAND HTS.South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo believes
there will be more collaboration among suburbs in the next
five to 10 years, but it won't come easy.

"What we're talking about is a change that the
average person has never really had to deal with," Welo
told about 40 people at a panel discussion on cooperative
government June 17 at the Heights main library.

Other panelists were Cleveland Heights Councilman Mark
Tumeo and University Heights Councilman Kevin Patrick
Murphy. All three have made concerted efforts to promote
regionalism.

"We don't want to lose what we have," Welo
said.

"We need to try to get more of us working together in
a non-threatening environment so that we can strategize and
put the effort forth." CH-UH merger

Tumeo has proposed discussing the merger of Cleveland
Heights and University Heights to increase governmental
efficiency.

Tumeo presented data he collected on general fund
expenditures from inner-ring suburbs here.

When the population grows, the cost per person of serving
those people "tends to do down," he said. He noted
that most cities in this area are losing population.

"If we want to maintain the efficiencies we have, we
have to find a way to serve more people with the
infrastructures the cities have," he said.

"The merger idea is one way to accomplish that."
U.H. and South Euclid?

Welo, however, said it might make more sense to merge
University Heights with South Euclid.

"We're smaller (than Cleveland Heights); we could
start at a smaller scale and then move bigger," she
said. "You have John Carroll (University) and Notre
Dame (College). We could be a college town for all ages.

"Maybe we could put up flags that say, The neighborhood of University Heights' and The neighborhood of South Euclid.' "...

Welo: should city merge with University Hts.?

CLEVELAND HTS.South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo believes
there will be more collaboration among suburbs in the next
five to 10 years, but it won't come easy.

"What we're talking about is a change that the
average person has never really had to deal with," Welo
told about 40 people at a panel discussion on cooperative
government June 17 at the Heights main library.

Other panelists were Cleveland Heights Councilman Mark
Tumeo and University Heights Councilman Kevin Patrick
Murphy. All three have made concerted efforts to promote
regionalism.

"We don't want to lose what we have," Welo
said.

"We need to try to get more of us working together in
a non-threatening environment so that we can strategize and
put the effort forth." CH-UH merger

Tumeo has proposed discussing the merger of Cleveland
Heights and University Heights to increase governmental
efficiency.

Tumeo presented data he collected on general fund
expenditures from inner-ring suburbs here.

When the population grows, the cost per person of serving
those people "tends to do down," he said. He noted
that most cities in this area are losing population.

"If we want to maintain the efficiencies we have, we
have to find a way to serve more people with the
infrastructures the cities have," he said.

"The merger idea is one way to accomplish that."
U.H. and South Euclid?

Welo, however, said it might make more sense to merge
University Heights with South Euclid.

"We're smaller (than Cleveland Heights); we could
start at a smaller scale and then move bigger," she
said. "You have John Carroll (University) and Notre
Dame (College). We could be a college town for all ages.

"Maybe we could put up flags that say, The neighborhood of University Heights' and The neighborhood of South Euclid.' "...